Man Utd £5bn bidder Sheikh Jassim set to offer sweetener to Glazers… with NFL games in the Middle East
THE billionaire Qatari sheikh trying to buy Manchester United hopes to persuade the Glazer family to sell — by dangling an NFL-sized carrot in front of them.
Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani put in an improved world-record £5billion offer to rival Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s bid a day earlier.
SunSport understands the sheikh also discussed a joint venture with the Glazers which could see NFL games in the Middle East.
Sheikh Jassim thinks buying United from the Glazers, who also own the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, could kick-start a relationship which would see NFL teams take American football to the Middle East.
In recent years, team owners, including Joel Glazer, have tried to grow the popularity of the game by sending teams to London to play at Tottenham’s stadium.
And Sheikh Jassim believes the idea could give him the upper hand in ongoing negotiations.
A source said: “Sheikh Jassim has been very clear he wants to buy the club and has the money to do so.
“He has been impressed with the Glazers and would like to work with them in the future.
“Part of his proposal has been that the Glazers could bring their NFL team to Qatar for an exhibition game in the national stadium in Doha.
“This would help cement Qatar’s stature as a destination for sporting spectacles and offer the Glazers a chance to spread their NFL brand and cash in.
“Sheikh Jassim has offered to insert a clause in any takeover deal guaranteeing this and it appeals to the Glazers.”
The NFL has already committed to take the game to other parts of the world to capitalise on its worldwide fanbase. In January it announced that the Buffalo Bills, Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots will play games in England and Germany.
NFL executive vice-president Peter O’Reilly said: “Growing the league and our sport internationally is a major strategic priority for the NFL, and we are excited to again be playing five games outside of the US in 2023.”
An estimated 113million viewers in the US tuned in for last month’s Super Bowl which saw the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles, with a further 40m elsewhere in the world.
Meanwhile, Alejandro Garnacho, 18, is in line for a new £50,000-a-week United contract worth TEN times his current salary.
Talks over a new deal began in December. And United insiders say there is growing confidence Garnacho will put pen to paper soon, when the small print over image rights is agreed.
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He is out of contract next year, but United hold a 12-month option to extend that.
The attacker has enjoyed a fine debut campaign, making 29 appearances and scoring five goals.